


Assorted Mass Effect Drabbles

by TheFlamingNymph



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Childhood Friends, Children, Colonist (Mass Effect), Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Family Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Lesbian Character, Multi, Orphans, Paragade (Mass Effect), Paragon Commander Shepard, Prayer, Pregnancy, Refugees, Religion, SO MUCH FLUFF, Same-Sex Marriage, Single Parents, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Dancing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unwed Parents, Vanguard (Mass Effect), War Hero (Mass Effect), gratuitous fluff, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-25
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-03 07:32:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 4,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5282198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFlamingNymph/pseuds/TheFlamingNymph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mass Effect Drabbles from prompts sent to commander-aeryn-shepard.tumblr.com! (Feel free to pop over and send your own!)</p><p>1 - Aeryn/Thane<br/>2, 10 - Etuni/Kolyat<br/>3, 9 - Erelan/Siyet<br/>4 - Saehi/Kenu<br/>5, 8 - Irikah/Rakan<br/>6 - Lyri/Sitha<br/>7 - Etara/Naesis</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "One More Chapter"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fill for the prompt "One more chapter" from razrogue on Tumbler for Aeryn and Thane.

"It's late, Siha."

Aeryn could hear the fatigue entering his voice, rumbling right by her ear. She could listen to his voice all day, she thought with a smile, and had been for at least the past hour. "One more chapter."

“And then another after that, and another after that, if you get your way.” He placed the datapad down and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter against him. His chuckle was warm, and she felt it reverberate through her. “How about we sleep for now, and we can resume in the morning.”

“My kidnapping ends tomorrow, and then it’s back into the swing of rebuilding.” She tried not to analyze the fact she was a thirty-some year old Commander legitimately pouting. Ryal would be proud of her right now, she thought with some amusement.

“I’m certain the galaxy will understand if you want to take a moment or so to spend with your fiance.”

Warm blossom in her stomach at the use of the word, and she grinned a little as she leaned her head back against his chest. She was so wrapped in the sound and feel of the word she almost didn’t recognize the emotional manipulation he was trying to pull off. Almost.

“You, Thane Krios, think you’re so sneaky, but I’m onto you.” Despite that she shifted her weight and moved out of the circle of his arms to lay next to him, letting him slide down next to her and pull her close again. “But I’ll let it work… this time.”

The last thing she heard was another laugh rumbling through him as he buried his face in the short fuzz of her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was asked to include clarification on drell terms, I'll also expand it to give small summaries of the original characters and how they relate to each other seeing as these drabbles lack the context of a larger story.
> 
> Aeryn - (Human) One of the Commander Shepards of the Two Shepards AU. Colonist, War Hero, and a Thane Romancer. Romanced Kaidan previous to Thane.
> 
> Ryal - (Human) The other Commander Shepard. Earthborn, Sole Survivor and a Garrus Romancer. Romanced Liara previous to Garrus.
> 
> Siha - An angel of the drell goddess Arashu (Godess of Motherhood and protection). Used as a term of endearment for someone considered fierce in wrath, a tenacious protector.


	2. "Let Me Fix It"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "Let Me Fix It" from razrogue on tumblr, for Kolyat and Etuni.

Kolyat wasn’t sure how long her eyes had been on him, but he knew his neck had to have deepened in color when he noticed. He had been fighting with his omnitool. It hadn’t been working properly ever since the pulse had passed through the ship. There was the slightest twist to her lips to indicate her amusement, and she leaned forward to whisper something to the child in her lap, who scrambled free a second later.

“Kolyat, come here, let me fix it.” Etuni’s voice carried easily enough over the sounds of the rest of the Neefirn eating around them. Her hand gestured the the empty spot next to her. He considered the offer for the barest moment before sitting next to her, offering her a look at his omnitool.

Her hands were firm against his arm as she tugged his arm gently above her crossed legs, bending low to get a better look at it. The fingers of one hand worked swiftly over the keypad, her brow plates drawn low in the middle as she concentrated. He tried not to notice how close this position drew him to her, or the pleasant smell of spice coming off of her. He couldn’t help but notice the warmth of her fingers, firm around his wrist, or how the red-orange of her scales seemed more vibrant against the backdrop of his blue ones.

A few of the orphans pressed in, trying to get a better look at what was going on. One of the older ones braced against his back and peered over his shoulder, shaking on their tip toes. One of the girls peered too close, and without once looking up from his omnitool, her hand released his wrist and tapped the girl on the nose with a forefinger, startling her backwards and out of the way. The girl’s giggle was answered with a small smile from Etuni.

Her brow plates lifted and she straightened her back as she pulled away from her task, turning to look at him and pausing when she noticed, for the first time, how truly close to her he was. Her eyes met his, and her neck colored slightly before she gently pushed his arm off her lap. “A few of the systems were damaged from the pulse. I rerouted them, so it should be of passable quality until we have better resources.” Her voice was soft, and her eyes dipped once, almost too quickly to notice, to his lips, before turning and inviting the small boy back into her lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Etuni - (Drell) Religious advisor for the small drell colony Arashu's Grace, also midwives and cares for the orphans of the colony. Born in 2162. Dabbles in tech in her free time. Eventually becomes first the unofficial, then official leader of Arashu's Grace after her mentor (the founder of the colony) dies as a casualty of the Reaper War. 
> 
> Neefirn - Quarian Liveship that was in charge of evacuating war refugees in the star system Arashu's Grace was located in.


	3. "Gentle Kiss"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "Gentle Kiss" by razrogue on tumblr, for Erelan and Siyet.

The prayer garden was quiet except for the sounds of Eliyet gurgling softly at the sounds of her mother’s voice. The sounds of children playing in the other yard were just a memory, and Erelan relished the moment of solitude. The prayers fell from her lips in a familiar pattern, interspersed with expressions of gratitude, her thoughts turning to the life now preparing to stretch her stomach with its growth, even as it had just returned back to normal.

The sound of Siyet’s steps behind her were soft for such a large man, she thought with a smile, waiting for the end of her current string of prayers before she turned her head towards him. He knelt next to her, a warm smile on his face as he took in the sight of her, with their daughter in her arms. She could see the question in his eyes, the barest spark of hope, for she rarely cut away from her duties early for solitary prayer.

She shifted Eliyet’s weight over to the cradle of one arm, accepting the solid weight on the left side of her body as her right hand reached for his. She squeezed his fingers, so much larger than hers, so much stronger, but in all things, so much more gentle than she. Her gentle giant, who had shown her the world was not what she had known, and that there could be more than just duty and what was expected of her.

Slowly, she pulled his hand over to her, and pressed it palm down against her stomach. She nodded once as a smile spread over his face, even as his eyes welled with emotion. She scanned his face as the emotions played out, and saw his first instinct to scoop her up, as he had done when he had first learned of her pregnancy with Eliyet. Yet, this time, Eliyet was in her arms and far too fragile to handle the jostling.

His free hand slid across her face as he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, once twice, over and over until he felt sated that his joy was expressed, leaning his forehead to hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eliyet - (Drell) Oldest daughter of Siyet Krios and Erelan Faen out of wedlock. Born in 2212. 
> 
> Erelan - (Drell) A native from Rakhana that hitched a ride with drell visiting Rakhana on a pilgrimage. Born in 2190. Was taken under Etuni's wing once she got to Arashu's Grace and trained to help take care of the growing orphanage/daycare set up. 
> 
> Siyet - (Drell) Kolyat and Etuni's oldest son. Born in 2188. Has taken an interest in child learning and development.


	4. "Forehead Kiss"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "Forehead Kiss" by razrogue on tumblr for Saehi and Kenu.

Office wear was almost as confining as her suit, Saehi decided with almost surprising bitterness. It wasn’t the outfit’s fault, and part of her recognized that, but the other part pointed out that the meeting that has required the office attire had torn her from the Blasto marathon happening in her apartment. The movies were far from her favorite vid, but the little boy that loved them so much was definitely one of her favorite people. Him, and his father.

The door to her apartment was sluggish as it opened and she wondered if it was worth mentioning to the superintendent yet again, or just take matters into her own hands. She almost voiced the question when she caught sight of the scene in her living room. Kenu was stretched out flat on his back, arms thrown carelessly above his head, chest moving with a rhythmic slowness indicative of his deep sleep. Yinu was sprawled on top of him, in a position that was more reminiscent of a fall victim than a sleeping boy. Blasto 9 (or was is 5?) was rolling through the credits on the screen.

Saehi couldn’t help the grin now spreading over her face, taking in the sight and the significance to her with deliberate slowness. She may not have been Kenu’s first, and there was no way Yinu could ever have been hers, but she doubted she could love them more than she already did.

Her eyes lingered on Yinu, his face half buried in his father’s shirt. She thought of the way he called her Xes, with the same tone of voice children his age referred to their mothers. She thought of the way he still sometimes referred to her as the robot lady, especially when work required her to put her suit on. She thought of the week he had spurned his father for his role model report for school in favor of her, before amending his report to include them both.

Her eyes eventually drifted towards Kenu, and the smile grew wider. The man responsible for the amount of happiness in her life. She still remembered the night they met, and how she had very nearly rage quit the game before running into him and his sister. ‘Someone that feels our pain’ Irikah had said to him, before they had officially asked her to be their healer on their next raid. Irikah had logged out first, claiming an early morning and a need to sleep. Kenu had stayed on the game with her for another three hours after that, and that was the start of a beautiful raiding party. She hadn’t known about Yinu then, or his past with Ahika, and he hadn’t known about her dissident nature or her sterility. But that night had started the basis for the wonderful thing happening right now.

With that thought, she pressed a kiss against the black scales in the middle of his forehead. Black scales that always seemed to be a bullseye, saying 'place kisses here’, at least in respect to the two drell in front of her.

“Papa’s watching, Yinu, promise.” He grumbled, eyes fluttering as he tried to pull himself from the depths of sleep, finally settling on her as his inner lids tried to clear the sleepy fog. A lazy grin stole over his face. “Hey Z, how was the meeting?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saehi - (Quarian) A envirotech specialist. Born in 2189, and one of the first born planetside on Rannoch after they transitioned from clean rooms on the flotilla to the planet. Medically sterile due to defunct eggs (or quarian equivalent). Body piercing enthusiast.
> 
> Kenu - (Drell) Second son of Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2189. Single father to Yinu until his relationship with Saehi. 
> 
> Yinu - (Drell) Kenu's only child. Born in 2213. Loves the Blasto movies. 
> 
> Ahika - (Drell) Yinu's mother. Was in a relationship with Kenu for four years before dying of childbirth related complications. 
> 
> Irikah - (Drell) Oldest daughter and third child to Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2191. Plays an MMORPG regularly with her brother.
> 
> Xes - Saehi's last name, turned into a term of endearment by Yinu. His way of calling her Mama but distinguishing her from his birth mother.


	5. "Protocol"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An expansion on a 5 Minute Writing Challenge by razrogue on tumblr.

She knew he could feel the tremors still running through her legs as his fingers idly traced the stripe that curved oh so seductively down over her hip to her thigh. She lightly swatted them away as she stretched and rolled towards the edge of the bed, ready to begin the arduous task of finding exactly where her clothing had come off.

“Leaving so soon?” Rakan’s voice was full of warmth and teasing, and she didn’t need to see him to know his eyes were tracing the curve of her spine and how it led to her ass, which she was quickly finding was a favorite spot of his.

“I need to go collect Siyet and Kenu from Mama and Papa’s.” Irikah replied as her feet hit the floor, and she hoped her legs looked steadier than they felt. She found her shirt first, bunched and practically shoved under his bed.

“Hmm… or you could come back here.” He offered in return, an elbow propping him up as he admired the view.

Her overshirt was discovered just beyond his door, crumpled where it had fallen in the corner. It was quickly retrieved as she turned to look at him, trying to ignore how distracting the visual was. The deep green of his scales stretched over muscles that had been so tantalizing under her fingertips. She sighed and mentally shook herself to clear her mind. “Or, I can go to my parents and get my brothers. You know, if you want this to continue, we’re going to need some rules.”

He allowed himself to fall backwards with a dramatic groan. “Oh, Iri, only you would want to impose rules on such glorious sex.”

“I’m just trying to keep it glorious and uncomplicated, big guy.” She rolled her eyes, venturing fully out of the bedroom now, looking high and low for the other half of her clothing. She could hear the bed protest his movement as he got up to follow.

“Hmmmm… it seems to me adding rules just complicates things.” Rakan mused, as his large hands settled on her hips as she searched, his lips finding a sensitive spot along the crook of her neck. She could feel his lips quirk into a smile at the soft sigh that escaped her before she stepped firmly out of his grasp.

“No, see, what you’re doing is complicating.” She turned and looked at him, steeling herself to keep her eyes firmly on his face and not wandering lower. “I’m not your girlfriend, Rakan. We are friends, friends that occasionally enjoy a higher level of friendly. And this, that happened tonight, displaced the other two friends that are part of this tight little group we got going. So… yeah, hangout sex like this will probably have to stop, for their sake.” Her knee locked as she took an authoritative stance. He was shameless in how his eyes dropped to her body, making her all too aware that the recovered articles in her hand had not yet made it back onto her body. Yet, part of her reveled in his undivided attention.

“Whatever you say, Iri.“ While his tone was still light and casual, she could hear the sincerity in it. He shifted until he was sitting on the arm of his couch, crossing his arms and raising a brow plate at her. "So lay it on me, what are the rules?”

“For the most part, nothing changes. We’re still friends, we can still hang out. We do not let this get in the way of all of us hanging out. This was upsetting enough for my brothers, I’m not making it worse.” She continued her search around the living room, ducking low to see under the coffee table, recovering her shorts. Just her underwear were still missing.

“It’s hard to concentrate with you like that.” Rakan’s voice had dropped low and husky. “Looking for these?”

Her head popped up as his hand disappeared between the couch cushions and came up with a scrap of black lace. She held up his hand for him to toss them to her, but he sat down onto a plush cushion and crossed his arms again, this time with a satisfied smirk.

“Rakan, give those here.” She sounded exasperated now, getting back to her feet and walking over to him with her hand outstretched, palm up. The split second before a grin flashed over his face was not enough warning before she was pulled forward and up onto his lap, her legs parting to either side of his thighs, the underwear discarded on the cushion besides him. “Hey!”

“That covers when we can’t have sex. So when can we, Iri?” His strong grip on her thighs was distracting as he massaged them, his eyes locked on hers in a way that made her shiver. The rest of her clothes dropped onto the cushion with her underwear, her hand splayed across his chest for support.

“We can be the fallback for each other. If a date goes south, but you still need a release? Sure, call me. Same for me. We can decline at any time. If either of us enters a relationship, arrangement is suspended, or ended, whichever is needed, no hard feelings.” She shifted her weight and tried to keep hold of her thoughts as he massaged higher, leaning forward to nip along her collarbone. A soft moan fell from her lips as he moved to her neck and found the sensitive spot again.

“And what about now?” His voice pitched lower again, thumbs on her inner thighs now, spreading her legs wider, then pausing, waiting for her answer.

“Oh gods, I’m in no state to leave right now. “ Irikah groaned as she leaned her head back, allowing him better access to her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Irikah - (Drell) Oldest daughter and third child of Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2191. Pre-med student. Childhood friends with Rakan. 
> 
> Rakan - (Drell) Only child. Born in 2188. Childhood friends with Siyet, Kenu, and Irikah. 
> 
> Siyet - (Drell) Oldest son of Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2188. Childhood frieds with Rakan.
> 
> Kenu - Second son of Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2189. Childhood friends Rakan, looks up to him almost like a brother.


	6. "Slow Dance"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "Slow dance" by razrogue on tumblr for Sitha and Lyri.

“What are you dancing to?” Lyri’s voice floated in from the doorway, and the lavender of Sitha’s neck deepened to a violet at being caught.

“Ah, a memory.” He tapped the side of his head as if to clarify what he meant. “Your music, actually. Join me?” He extended his hand out to her with a smile. Her lilac hand slid into his seafoam one, and he pulled her towards him gently until they were arranged in a classic slow dance arrangement. He led her gently, in time with the music of the memory.

"Sitha, there's no music." Lyri chuckled, focusing on his movements to keep time without the beat of the music.

"My apologies." He smiled down at her as he lost himself deeper in the memory for a moment, beginning to hum along with the tune as he danced her slowly across the plush carpet of their living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sitha - (Drell) Fifth child and fourth son of Kolyat and Etuni. Born in 2194. Archaeologist specializing in Pre-Prothean civilization. 
> 
> Lyri - (Asari) Plays violin in a well known orchestra.


	7. "Bad Cop"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "reacting to the other one crying about something" from razrogue on tumblr for Etara and Naesis.

The bag slipped from Etara’s hand with a loud thump against the floor, her strides covering the expanse of their living room surprisingly quickly, dropping to a crouch in front of Naesis and cupping her face, the asari’s omnitool screen blinking closed as she did so. Dark scaled thumbs rolled across her blue cheeks to wipe away the tears sliding down silently. “Which ambassador am I bringing in on trumped up charges? Or I can just deck him and claim he was resisting arrest. You know, Pop’s a former assassin, I can just see if he knows anybody.”

Naesis’s laugh cut off Etara’s tirade, rubbing her partner’s arm lovingly. “No, no ambassador, nothing bad. I just got an update from our little one’s teacher. It caught me off guard, is all.”

“What’s the rugrat done this time? Threaten to send her to Aunt Erelan or Aunt Irikah, those two usually scare her enough.” Etara straightened up slowly, brushing the last of the tears from Naesis’s face before sitting on the couch next to her and pulling her close.

“I said nothing bad. I swear you don’t listen.”

“Now you sound like my parents… and my brothers… and my sister.” Her grumble was good-natured, her lips finding the spot just below her fringe. “Alright, if it isn’t bad, what was it? It got you crying.”

Naesis leaned her head against Etara’s as she punched a few buttons on her omnitool, retrieving the holo she had be looking at before she had walked in. It was a drawing, done the old fashioned way with crayons, roughly rendering the two of them with their daughter, sitting on the Presidium and watching the ships come in. “She did this instead of her homework, but it was so sweet… I don’t think I can really yell at her for it.”

“No, don’t start that. I can’t bad cop for shit when it comes to our baby. Bad cop’s on you when it comes to her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Etara - (Drell) Second oldest daughter of Etuni and Kolyat. Born in 2195. Works for C-Sec, special biotics division. 
> 
> Naesis - (Asari) Works for the Asari embassy on the Citadel.


	8. "I hate that I love you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "I hate that I love you" from uchidachi on tumblr for a pairing of my choice. It fit Rakan and Irikah best, so here goes.

“You know, Iri, I’m just not sure. Why should I?” Rakan leaned back in his chair, a cocky grin on his face as Irikah threw him an exasperated look, the human anatomy textbook in front of her being closed with a sharp snap, her hand pressed firmly against the cover.

“Do you want the medical reasons or the personal reasons?” She straightened up, bracing her hands on the knees of her crossed legs. “Yes, boxing is good cardio and a great workout, but you don’t really do it frequently enough. Also, it gives us quality time, in the nice crisp early morning, before AG really gets bustling.”

“Quality time? That’s your angle, huh?” His eyes gleamed playfully, pulling his feet off his desk to spin the chair around to face her properly. “I think that’s very rich coming from the woman that turned down my proposal last night.”

“Rakan, we’ve been together for a week.” Her eyes rolled, her body shifting again as she unknotted her legs, scooting to hang them off the bed and really stretch, tiny pops of her bones eliciting a happy sigh from her. “Did you really think I’d agree after a week?”

“Officially together for a week, sure. But you’ve always been mine, you know that.” His grin was back, but his eyes were centered steadily on her face. “Soul since that first kiss, body from the second, and heart? Only you know that one, finally admitted a week ago.”

Her hand slid beneath his pillow at the full extension of her stretch, flipping up and into his face with a laugh at his dramatics. “I hate that I love you.”

“I love that it frustrates you. You’re cute when you’re frustrated.” He laughed heartily now, tossing the pillow back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AG - Shorthand and nickname of Arashu's Grace, a settlement turned colony of drell founded by Siyet Neis. Currently run and maintained with Etuni as head of the colony. 
> 
> Rakan - (Drell) Childhood friend of the oldest children of Kolyat Krios. Boyfriend to Irikah Krios. Works as a consultant, very good at people networking.
> 
> Irikah - (Drell) Oldest daughter of Kolyat and Etuni, childhood friends with Rakan. Girlfriend to Rakan Keol.


	9. "You don't have to protect me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt fill for "You don't have to protect me" from razrogue on tumblr for Erelan and Siyet.

Erelan was crouched low in the yard when Siyet got home, toes dug deep into the soil to spring off from, one hand lightly in the grass to keep her balance, the other drawn close to her side to keep it out of the way. Her eyes darted from bush to bush methodically, her gaze intense as she scanned the area.

A bush to the side of her rustled, and he moved himself between her and it, catching her gaze as she flicked her eyes upwards towards his face. “Waiting for an ambush, are we?” He crouched low near her. “Need some help?”

The forefinger of her free hand pressed against her lips lightly in a ‘shush’ motion. “You don’t need to protect me.” She turned her head at another sound, partially turning her body, her limbs moving to adjust for balance without thought. Even after all this time, he still found things to admire in the way she could move, half wild but calculating.

“I didn’t say anything about needing.” His voice dropped as low as hers, trying to follow her gaze and see who she was tracking. She made another movement, barely perceptible, and all hell broke loose.

Siyas was the easiest to catch and counter, all play snarls and awkward limbs and backwards glances at his shadow, Irisoh, who toddled after her brother with only a bare understanding of what they were playing. A quick spin around and light push and he and his little sister went down easy, crying their outrage at their father.

Oteka was harder, running headlong at him, pure determination to succeed where the younger two had failed. Siyet sidestepped and she ran past, tripping herself up in an effort to avoid hitting her mother.

Three down, two to go. But the oldest of his daughters, Eliyet and Asheril, were craftier. One to either side of him, trying to pincer him. It dawned on him too late, as he laughed and moved away from them easily, for as well thought out as the plan was for their age, they still lacked stealth when emerging from their hiding spots, that every attack fell to him and not to their mother.

It dawned on him so late in fact, that her weight had slammed, for what little that meant for her slight size, into his back, legs half curled around his waist, arms twined over his shoulders and lips pressed briefly but firmly against his neck as she laughed.

“She got you, Papa!” Eli pointed out in triumph, her fists on her hips and her tongue sticking out.

“Yeah, I guess she did.” He laughed as his wife dropped from his back, checking the two younger children entangled on the ground in a fit of giggles. “Pretty tricky, setting an ambush for your Papa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Erelan - (Drell) Originally from Rakhana. Moved to AG to escape a tribal life with limited resources. Married to Siyet Krios. Mother of Eliyet, Asheril, Oteka, Siyas, and Itisoh.
> 
> Siyet - (Drell) Oldest child of Kolyat and Etuni Krios. Grandson to Thane Krios. Married to Erelan. Father of Eliyet, Asheril, Oteka, Siyas, and Itisoh.
> 
> Eliyet - (Drell) Oldest daughter of Siyet and Erelan. Born before they were married.
> 
> Asheril - (Drell) Second oldest daughter of Siyet and Erelan. Born before they were married.
> 
> Oteka - (Drell) Third daughter of Siyet and Erelan. Born before they were married.
> 
> Siyas - (Drell) Oldest son of Siyet and Erelan. Born a month after their wedding.
> 
> Itisoh - (Drell) Fourth daughter of Siyet and Erelan. Born after their wedding.


	10. "Baby Food"

Etuni leaned against the counter as she observed the battle of wills in front of her, sparing a silent moment to muse to Arashu why she chose to test her husband this way. Siyet and Kenu had fallen mostly under Etuni's care by her own actions, ever the caretaker that preferred to do things herself rather than delegate. Kolyat had expressed his desire to take half of the responsibilities of their children, a desire to help her and that she didn't need to do everything herself. And her daughter was giving him the hardest time over it. 

Globs of the newest attempted food speckled the tray beneath her little hands like a fruit basket had exploded. Kolyat seemed to be at his wits end, taking a deep breath as once again the spoon fell from his hand from all her squirming. 

"Please eat for Papa, Rika." He pleaded, running a hand over his face as he sighed again, smiling as an idea dawned on him. "Will you eat it if Papa eats it?" He gathered a fresh spoonful of her food and popped it into his own mouth this time, trying to make a show of how good it was. He blinked a little faster, pulling the spoon out and grinned at his daughter. "See, Rika, yummy."

He watched his daughter’s eyes watch him, too much intelligence in those big young eyes of hers. He slowly swirled the spoon into her food, pulling just a little bit out and leading the spoon to her mouth, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. Her tiny lips opened and she ate the food greedily now. 

Etuni laughed at the look of pure relief on her husband’s face, her hand brushing the back of his head lightly, a slight gesture, but more than enough for them. “You learned her trick. She won’t eat anything unless we do.”

Kolyat leaned his head backwards and smiled at her. “Is all of her food that bland?”

“Afraid so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Etuni - (Drell) Wife to Kolyat, mother of his many children. Colony leader. Suffered injuries during a Batarian raid on the colony, prompting the conversation on her letting Kolyat share the responsibility. 
> 
> Irikah - (Drell) Oldest daughter to Kolyat and Etuni. Born a couple of months after the Raid on Arashu's Grace. Nicknames: Rika, Iri,
> 
> Arashu - Drell goddess of motherhood and protection.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos make my day, comments make my life, prompts make the gears keep turning. 
> 
> So click the kudo button, scroll down and tell me a thing or two and hit send, then pop on over to commander-aeryn-shepard.tumblr.com and send me your own prompt!


End file.
